Improved head-rest for railway-cars



UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGE'.

PETER A. LA FRANCE AND J..D. DINSMORE, OF ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED HEAD-REST FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,926, dated September 11, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER A. LA FRANCE and JosEPH D. DINsMoRE, of Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable Head-Rests for Railway-Gars; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view. Fig.'2 is a vertical transverse section, showing' the mode of attaching the parts, and Fig. 3 is a detached view of the button by which the parts are united.

The same letters are used in referring` to identical parts.

A and A' are angular pieces, the upper part of A forming an obtuse, and the same part of A forming an acute, angle with the stem. The upper face of the piece A has dang-es turned up on the edges, which are made convergent to receive theV upper part of the piece A', the sides of which are sloped to the angle of the anges of the piece A. The two pieces are thus joined adjustably, formingjaws which may be adapted to the backs of car-seats of various thickness. The two pieces are each formed with slots cut from their upper ends back toward the stems. In these slots are inserted the shank of the stud B, which, by its stress, retains the pieces in their relative positions, as will be more fully explained. The lower head of the stud B is rounded, sol as not to injure the backs of the carwseats. The upper head of the same is elongated, as shown in Fig. 3.

C is a semicircular head-rest, which is adjustably attached to the jaws by the stud B, the he'ad of which is inserted through longitudinal slots C and C" in the head-rest. In the middle of the rest C a slot of the saine width as C" is cut perpendicularly thereto to the center of the rest. The edges of this slot, as also of the head ot the button, should be beveled, so that when the pieces Aand A' are united7 and the stud B inserted into the slots in the pieces A and A', and also in the headrest C, when the latter is turned, the head rising upon these inclinations, the parts shall be rmly united. This union is made still more perfect by the strain of the seat upon the jaws A and A', which, being forced apart below, draw more firmly on the stud. The head-rest may bethus disposed immediately behind the head of the passenger, or may be supported at either end, so as to enable the passenger to 'vary the position of his head, as desired.

D is a cushion with which the head-rest is Y lined. This cushion may be sewed on by passing the thread through the perforatiol'ls D' in the plate C.

E is a pad attached by elastic straps E', which pass througheyes in the ends of the rest, and are buttoned to the buttons F. This serves, when desired, for an elastic rest for the head. The tension of the straps must be such that the head shall not force the pad E back against the rest C.

The straps E' are made, ordinarily, of any suitable non-elastic material, united with a short elastic piece adjoining the pad sufficient to give the requisite elasticity to the strap.

The rest may be attached to the arm of the car-seat, and the straps E' attached so that the pad E shall hang below the arm to receive the head of the passenger. This mode ot application will be found especially desirable on cars where the arms are high enough to permit its application when the passenger has an entire seat that he may lie upon longitudinally- Instead of the separate jaws A A', made and united as described, the jaws may be made in a single piece, having the same form as the jaws A A' when united. In this case the portions of the jaw clasping the front and back of the back of the seat should be made elastic, so as to compress by their tension and retain arm hold upon the back of the seat, and so as to be adaptable to seats of different thickness. For this purpose the jaws should be made of steel or other elastic material.

What we claim as our invention, and seek to secure by Letters Patent, is v l. A portable head-rest constructed with adjustable jaws A A', supporting a curved head-rest, G, said parts being respectively constructed and combined for use, substantially as set forth.

2. The semicircular head-rest C, when constructed with slots for receiving a stud, B, by

, A', substantially as set forth.

Which it is adj nstably attached to the jaws A the top face to which the head-rest is attached,

substantially as set forth. 3. The pad E, suspended upon elastic straps In testimony whereof We have signed our E', when used in combination with aheadrest, names to this specification in the presence of substantially in the manner and for the purtWo subscribing Witnesses.

pose set forth. t

4. A portable head-rest for attachment to the backs or arms of the seats of railway-cars,

when so constructed that the jaws by which Witnesses: v it is so attached shall form7 the front piece an RASTUS S. RANSOM, obtuse7 and the hind one an acute7 angle with It. H. RANSOM. 

